1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective cover for retaining flying fragments that may penetrate housing covers for turbine governor fly weights or similar rotary devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that turbine generators have high-speed governor fly weights which for one reason or another may fail and cause fragments of flying metal to penetrate their covers. This is especially true in situations where the housing covers are aluminum. Presently, there are flexible covers for rotary components of high-speed vehicles such as transmissions and bell housings. However, due to the nature and configurations of such components, their shields are open-ended.
Furthermore, metal shields have been disclosed which surround a turbine wheel. These shields force broken sections of the turbine wheel that fracture in a predetermined manner, against adjacent blades, which in turn fractures them, causing the speed of the turbine blade to reduce and eventually stop the blade. The reason, obviously, is that there are no blades which can receive an impulse from the gas or liquid flowing against them so as to cause their rotation. There has also been disclosed a housing cover which fits around the turbine blades that can catch broken portions of the turbine blade. This cover may also include a light metal coating, which when heated up will hold flying objects that strike it so that they do not get tossed back into the decomposing flywheel where they will be ground up. These shields are expensive and due to their weight are difficult to install.
The prior art does not disclose a lightweight, flexible and removable shield insertable over a turbine governor housing that does not (or suspected not to) perform as designed. One example is an aluminum housing cover that is easily penetrated by high-velocity fragments. The inventor has personal knowledge that a machine operator has been severely injured by such fragments which have penetrated an aluminum housing cover. Further, it is also possible that equipment reachable by the high-speed fragments may also be damaged.
Thus, in the interest of personnel and equipment safety, it is desirable to use my invention over existing housing covers as additional protection. My invention is a shield that cannot be penetrated by flying fragments. Also, it is flexible and may be conveniently folded and placed, for example, in a worker's pocket as well as easily installed and removed.